1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for tenderizing and flavoring a meat such as beef, mutton, port, or poultry by bringing the meat into contact with a raw soy sauce.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Up the present, many attempts have already been made to tenderize the meat by various enzymes. The enzymes now being used worldwidely in meat tenderizing agents are cysteine proteinase of the vegetable origin. Of these enzymes, particularly in general use in papain, though other proteases such as bromelain (bromelin) and ficin are also used. In applying these enzymes to the tenderization of meats, the procedures generally employed as dusting a lump of meat with a powdered enzyme; dipping a lump of meat into an enzyme solution; puncture treatment of a lump of meat; and injecting an enzyme solution into the blood vessel before slaughtering the animal.
An important factor for the tenderization of meat with a protease is the appropriate degradation of connective tissue such as collagen, elastin, and reticulin; particularly, the degradation of collagen which occupies 80% of the connective tissue is a key factor, because it is generally believed that enzymes conventionally used in meat tenderization, such as papain, bromelain, and ficin have no collagenase activity. In fact, when being acted upon by these enzymes, the meat becomes powdery on the surface, or becomes stinking. After all, conventional meat tenderizing agents have a disadvantage in that they act on myofibrils in preference to connective tissue, thus rendering the meat unsuitable for a tasty food.